


Our Purpose in Life

by PurrtlePuff



Series: The Supernatural Adventures of Jacksepticeye [10]
Category: Youtuber RPF
Genre: Gen, PJ's hotel is full of foreshadowing characters, also Jack and Felix work through some past issues, also there's a lot of violence and blood in this one, also you find out what Cry is so there's that, and William is a shit through like the whole thing, and only one of them is named good luck guys XD, in which a whole bunch of people decide to stand up and save Ethan, so tw gore, tw death, two if you count Kathryn but she becomes a key player so she doesn't count, you might cry idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 01:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11636091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurrtlePuff/pseuds/PurrtlePuff
Summary: In the thrilling conclusion, Jack and his team race against the clock to rescue Ethan before William exposes the Supernatural world to humans.





	Our Purpose in Life

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This is part of a series. If you haven't read the other chapters, you're going to be really confused.
> 
> It's here! To think, I started dreaming up this fic back in summer of 2015, and I'm finally finishing the first part this summer. Well, let me clarify. This fic ends Act I of the Supernatural AU I have in plan. Jack has finally discovered who he is, and he and his friends are ready to move on to bigger and better things. So, while this may be the last chapter with his team as a whole, it's not the end of this world, I can assure you :)
> 
> With that said, there is a lot of violence in this one. Not really gory per se, but enough to make a few people uncomfortable, so I want to warn y'all of the shitstorm that's coming your way.
> 
> So without further ado, I hope you enjoy the last installment of "The Supernatural Adventures of Jacksepticeye."

Jack’s phone rang in his pocket. He fished it out and saw Signe’s beautiful face staring at him. Jack smiled and swiped.

“Hey, any luck?”

Signe sighed. “No. I waited all afternoon in front of the police station, but no luck. Who knows where they got to by now.”

Jack cursed under his breath.

“Where are you?” Signe continued. “Tony and I are coming to pick you and Robin up.”

Jack could sense the “it’s not safe for you out here” lingering on her lips. He smiled. “Get Robin first. I’m heading over to PJ’s hotel.”

“You’re close?”

“Yeah. I figure it’s the safest place to be right now. Besides, there’s someone I want to see there.”

“Just… be careful, Jack.”

“Me? Not careful?” Jack put his hand on his chest. “Never.”

Signe laughed. “We’ll meet you there.”

Jack said a quick “love you” before hanging up. He kept his head low, casting a shadow across his eyes. He saw in a movie once if you looked bad and tough, people would leave you alone. He hoped it’d work. Of course, he didn’t know how intimidating he looked to the Supernatural when he was a glowing beacon, but he was going to try.

As Jack passed a few late night commuters on his walk, PJ’s hotel came into view. The sign squeaked as it swung in the breeze. To the average person, PJ’s “Dracula’s Castle” sounded like a tribute to Bram Stoker, but the Supernatural world saw it as a place to be themselves.

From what Signe told Jack, there was a witch’s spell on the door. A human would enter and see a bunch of humans lounging in the lobby, some with coffee and listening to a young poet, others sitting by the bar and talking to a charming bartender. However, when a Supernatural entered, they’d see ghosts cleaning tables, a siren singing in the background, and a vampire standing at the front desk.

Jack stood at the revolving door. He couldn’t see inside, but he could hear the hotel’s lively chatter swiveling through the cracks. Jack took in a deep breath and pushed the door.

As he stepped in, he saw PJ talking to a brunette Elf. PJ’s red eyes and fangs practically glowed in the flame chandelier lighting. The woman turned and raised an eyebrow. She whispered something to PJ, who looked over at Jack with wide eyes. Jack waved, and PJ was in front of him in seconds.

“You should’ve called first,” PJ whispered.

“I told you I was coming over,” Jack said with a shrug. “Besides, I’m here to see Felix not converse with your patrons.”

PJ raised an eyebrow at Jack’s sassiness. He sighed before leading Jack to the front desk. As Jack walked through the lobby, a few heads turned, and he could hear a bunch of people whispering. Jack kept his head forward and refused to look at anything but the back of PJ’s head.

PJ handed Jack a key card. “Third floor. Room 324. Just a fair warning, there was a Siren in his room named Emma helping him sleep, and I think she’s still there, but let her know PJ sent you.”

“Right, got it.” Jack gripped the card in his hand.

PJ leaned in before letting go. “Stay away from room 304. Don’t look anyone with red hair in the eye, and if someone asks you if you want some chocolate, politely decline no matter how many times they ask you.”

“Okay.” Jack swallowed and sent a nervous smile. PJ took a deep breath. Jack walked away from the counter and over to the left elevator.

PJ added, “Oh, and there may be a little black cat on that floor. Leave him alone. He doesn’t like to be touched by anyone but his master.”

“Don’t touch the cat. Got it,” Jack said over his shoulder. He hit the up button and waited for the elevator to descend. The lobby went back to its boisterous self, and Jack tapped his foot. For someone who moved fast, PJ’s elevator sure was slow.

Ding.

The doors slid open. Jack stepped in and pushed the 3 button. The doors slid closed, and light elevator music danced into the room.

“Meow.”

Jack looked down at the floor. Bright eyes on a cat (that looked too black to be real) looked up at him.

“Hey there,” Jack said. The cat kept staring at him. Jack turned his attention forward. He heard the elevator beep on the second floor then stop at the third. The doors opened, and Jack walked outside. He saw 301 and sighed. Of course he’d start there.

Mock candlelight lit the hall. The walls were a pale red color, and the black carpet down the middle had tiny bats on it. Jack stepped down the hall and heard the floorboards creak.

“Meow.”

Jack turned his head and looked down. The cat was at his side. It didn’t look up, but it trotted along with his pace.

As Jack passed room 304, he heard low snarling from the other side. He shivered and imagined a dragon sleeping on the other side. Jack increased his pace a bit.

“Mraaawr!”

Jack looked down, and the cat walked faster to keep up with him. It flicked its tail in annoyance. Jack slowed his pace, and the cat did as well.

“What, are you escorting me?” Jack said with a laugh. The cat said nothing.

As Jack walked down the hall, he got the feeling he was being watched. He refused to look behind him. At the edge of the hall, Jack saw a sign that split the numbers on the floor. It looked like 324 was at the end of the right hallway. Jack turned and saw something duck into the shadows out of the corner of his eye.

Jack stopped and glanced.

Nothing was there.

Jack turned and started walking again. The cat kept pace but stopped in the middle of the hall. Jack glanced over his shoulder.

“What, you don’t go any farther than this?” Jack asked and smirked. The cat stared at him with golden eyes and sat on the floor. Jack let out a nervous laugh and continued.

“You’re welcome,” the cat replied in a sassy British accent.

Jack blinked before pretending the cat didn’t just speak to him and stopped at 324. He slid the keycard in and pulled it out. A green light flickered before he heard the door click.

Jack turned the handle and glanced inside. The room looked more like an apartment than a hotel room. He entered a living room, which housed a red couch, a coffee table, and a television that was currently airing some sort of singing drama.

He heard someone snuff. “They couldn’t hit a note with the broadside of a barn.”

Jack noted the voice was distinctly British. What was it with all the Brits around here? He stepped inside and cleared his throat. The woman’s teacup clanked on her saucer.

“Who-”

“PJ sent me,” Jack said.

The girl let out a loud groan. “Oh thank god, you must be that replacement. I finally got him back to sleep, but let me tell you, that boy has problems.”

Jack chuckled. “Oh don’t I know.”

“Anyway,” she said as she gathered up her tea, “you do know who you’re singing for?” She stood up and looked at Jack. The woman froze and her jaw dropped.

Jack held up a hand. “Easy. I know I’m not the replacement singer-”

“I noticed,” she said, her voice quivering. “You really shouldn’t be here. He could-”

“He won’t,” Jack said. “I know Felix pretty well. He used to live with me.”

She hummed. “You must be that Jack kid he keeps mumbling about then.” Jack wanted to press further. “I’d prefer if you didn’t wake him up though. I just got him to sleep, and it took me an hour.”

“I’ll wait on the couch, it’s okay.”

“You want me to wait for you?”

Jack thought for a moment then shook his head. “You sound exhausted. Why don’t you go back downstairs and take a break?”

The woman, who he assumed to be Emma, looked rather grateful. “Good luck with that one.” She gathered up her bag and walked toward the door. After saying a quick “have a good evening,” she closed the door behind her and left Jack in the company of the television.

Jack walked to the couch and sat. He turned off that voice talent show and let the silence surround him. From one of the back rooms, he could hear Felix mumbling in his sleep. Jack wanted to go in and check on him, but he chose to stay in the living room.

His phone beeped, and Jack opened it. Signe sent a text that they were outside the hotel. Jack thought about how to respond. He started a few times, but everything sounded like a ridiculous excuse, so he deleted everything. After trying to figure out what to say for five minutes, he got a message “I’m coming in.”

Jack ran a hand through his hair. Hopefully PJ could explain everything better than he could in a text.

Felix screamed. Jack nearly jumped out of his body. He stood up and ran into the bedroom. There was a crash, and Jack noted the jumble of blankets on the floor.

Felix’s hand shot out from the blankets and pawed at the nightstand. He pulled himself up and ran both hands through his hair. Jack could hear him panting like he ran for ages. Felix leaned over the nightstand and put a hand over his eyes. His breathing started to slow, and his shoulders shook.

Some muttered words in Swedish and a broken sob later, Felix sat down on his bed. He wiped the tears away before noticing his door was ajar. His eyes followed the shadow and saw Jack standing in the doorway.

“I’m still not fucking awake,” Felix said and flopped onto his bed. He curled up in a ball. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m fucking sorry before you leave me alone?”

Jack’s voice caught in his throat. He walked into the room.

“Don’t,” Felix curled in tighter. “I don’t want to explain myself to you anymore. I’m so done with these fucking nightmares.”

“Felix,” Jack’s voice was soft, and yet Felix flinched like Jack was about to punch him. “It’s me. It’s Jack. You’re awake, and I’m here to talk.”

Felix’s whole body shuddered as he let out a sob. He started muttering rapid slurred Swedish between chokes and tears. Jack sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a moment. He reached a hand over and put it on Felix’s skin. Felix froze. Jack’s warmth spread through his shoulder.

He looked up, his irises and corneas read. “Jack?” Jack nodded.

Felix had him wrapped up in a hug before he could react. Jack’s shoulder was saturated with snot and tears. Over and over, Felix muttered “I’m sorry” like a scratched record. Jack remembered how his mother comforted him, and he started rubbing circles on Felix’s back. After what felt like minutes of shushing Felix and getting him to calm, Jack pushed Felix away and looked him in the eyes.

“I forgive you.”

“Why?” Felix’s eyes glanced between Jack’s and the bed. “I bit you. I sucked your blood, Jack. I promised I never would.”

“But you stopped.”

Felix snuffed. “Yeah, because Anti jabbed a stick through my fucking stomach. If he didn’t-”

“Will you stop?” Jack interrupted. “I didn’t come here to scold you. I came here to listen to you.”

Felix wrinkled his nose. He looked away and sat back on his palms. His eyes drifted up to the ceiling. “What is there to tell? I bit into you. I ran off. You’ve probably been celebrating.”

“Now you stop that. All I’ve wanted to do is find out what’s been going on, and I don’t mean the bite. Coming home covered in blood, strange girls bringing gifts, coming home at late hours… I’m your friend, Felix. I don’t expect to know everything about you, but if something’s going on, if someone’s hurting you, I want to know.”

Felix chuckled. “No one is hurting me.”

“Then what’s been going on?”

Felix sighed. He wiped the tears from his eyes before taking in a deep breath. “I’ve been protecting humans.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“How long?”

“For a while now, PJ has had me at the hotel as a bodyguard for humans. If any of the Supernatural decide to cause trouble, he gets me to deal with them, because obviously he can’t be everywhere at once. You remember that girl?”

“The one who brought the pug pin?”

“Yeah. An Incubus went after her and I stepped in before he could… before anything happened. She was at the hotel for three days, and she wouldn’t stop asking if there was some way she could repay me, so I told her I liked pugs. And then she made me that pin.”

“Then why were you so suspicious of the package?”

“There are some resentful Supernatural that do go after me after I take care of them. Sometimes they send others to do their dirty work, and sometimes they want to fight. And sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to kill them.”

“That’s why you came home covered in blood the one day.”

Felix took in a deep breath. “Usually I wait until you’re gone or I shower before I come home, but it happened too close to home and too close to sunrise for me to run all the way to PJ’s to recover.” He exhaled. “My coven must’ve followed me home that day, and that’s why they went after you that night.”

Jack took a moment to piece things together. He snuffed.

“That’s it?”

“What do you mean that’s it?” Felix yelled and flung his arms into the air. “I’ve been keeping that secret for months!” Jack laughed. Felix pouted and playfully punched Jack on the shoulder, and Jack laughed harder.

Jack said through his laughter, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you getting involved.” Felix let out a light laugh. “And let’s face it, if you knew what I was doing, you’d want to help.”

Jack hummed. “You know me that well, and yet you still wouldn’t tell me what’s been going on with you?”

“You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Felix said but stopped himself. He let out a long sigh. “Like how I haven’t fed on Marzia since I came here.”

“Felix,” Jack hissed.

“I haven’t been hungry,” Felix spoke. “I haven’t wanted blood since I drank from you. I didn’t take much blood, but it was enough to last me this long, maybe longer. Who knows how long it would’ve lasted if-” Jack’s sharp glance cut him off. “I’m not saying you cured me, but…”

Jack hummed. “You think you wouldn’t need Marzia if you drank from me?”

Felix hit Jack with his pillow, and Jack fell onto his back. He blinked up at the ceiling.

“Don't’ you dare say I don’t need Marzia if I’m not feeding on her.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Poor choice of wording.” Jack pushed himself up. “What I mean is: if you drank my blood, you wouldn’t need to bite her, and that gets rid of the strain, right?”

Felix’s eyes watched Jack before he looked away. He crossed his arms and blew a lock of hair out of his face.

“I don’t want to get addicted to you.”

“But if that little bit of my blood you drank stopped your hunger, isn’t it worth a shot?”

“Sensitive blood has been said to give Supernatural more power. And besides, the reason I’m so weak around blood is that I only take a pint of blood from Marzia every two months-”

“Dude, you’re starving yourself?”

“I know. PJ said the same thing. He said even he has five donors to rely on, but he’s been doing this a lot longer than I have, and I didn’t even know where to start. Besides, I didn’t want Marzia to feel like I was cheating or anything, and… I don’t know. I told you I’m old and stupid.”

“You’re still learning. We learn our whole lives, even if we are a 300-year-old vampire who doesn’t know how to eat properly.”

“You sound like a fortune cookie,” Felix said with a laugh. “I appreciate the offer, Jack, but I don’t think I can do that to you. I’m just going to have to talk to Marzia and see what I can work out.”

“Communication is good.” Jack stood up. “How about we go to Cry’s for some coffee?”

“I don’t drink coffee.”

“But still, he’d be happy to know we’re talking to each other again.” Felix looked at Jack’s hand and took it. Jack pulled Felix to his feet. “And brush your teeth, ya smelly.”

“You’re one to talk, coffee breath.” Felix looked through his clothes before putting on a shirt and pants. He and Jack walked out of the room and into the halls. Jack was a bit disappointed a little black cat didn’t follow them.

As they entered the lobby, PJ looked up and smiled. Signe stood at the front desk and turned to look at them.

“You two finally made up,” she said.

Felix made a face. He turned to PJ and spoke, “Peej, I’m going to take you up on that advice about drinking.”

“Fiiinally,” PJ sighed. “If I knew you talking to Jack would make you listen, I’d have called him over months ago.”

Felix rolled his eyes and was about to respond, but someone slammed into the revolving doors. A girl with a mop of blonde hair tumbled to the floor, her wrists tied behind her back. She lay there panting and trying desperately to catch her breath. The whole hotel grew silent.

Two men followed her in and surveyed the hotel. They saw the girl laying on the floor and hastened to her. They picked her up by the arms, and she flailed, yelling at them to let her go.

“Is there a problem?” PJ asked as he hurried out from behind his desk.

“Nothing to be concerned about. We’re undercover cops, and we’ve been after this one for a while.”

The girl looked around the room wildly. Her eyes locked onto Jack’s.

“Jack!” she yelped. “Jack help, please!”

The men tried to pull her away, but PJ put a hand on her shoulder. By now, Felix was on their other side, blocking the exit.

“Hope you don’t mind,” PJ spoke, “I’m calling the station to confirm your badge numbers. Human trafficking has been picking up around this place, and I can’t be too careful.”

Signe and Jack pulled the girl from the men’s arms and out of their grasp. One of them reached out to grab at Signe, but she kicked him in the stomach and sent him sliding onto his back.

The other pulled out a gun and aimed it at the girl. PJ snapped his jaw and pushed him to the ground. The gunshot. He wrestled with PJ on the ground until the Elf PJ was talking to before pulled the gun from his hand.

The first man stood up, but Felix grabbed him by the shoulders and held him back. As he struggled, Felix bit into his neck. He shrieked and flailed, but Felix wouldn’t let go. The man’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell to the floor. Felix wiped his mouth.

The man under PJ paled. He started begging for them not to kill him.

Signe walked over to him, a blade in her hand. “Easy, we just want answers, and if you tell us what we want to know, we’ll leave you alone.”

Robin and Tony came in from outside and looked around.

“We heard a gunshot,” Robin said, his eyes going right to Jack and Signe.

“We’re okay,” Jack said. He started untying the girl’s wrists, and she pulled him into a hug, still breathing heavily. He pulled her close and started to comfort her.

“Hey, are you okay?” Signe asked as she came to her.

“No,” she said as she cried into Jack’s shoulder. “No, they’ve got Tyler and Ethan. They need help.”

Jack and Signe glanced up at each other. “Who’s got Tyler and Ethan?”

The girl paused and wiped her tears away. “I think I heard one of the men call him William.”

There was a series of curses and murmurs throughout the whole hotel. PJ called for quiet so they could hear the young lady.

“Wait… Amy?”

Amy’s head turned over to the Elf beside PJ. “Kathryn, what are you doing here?”

“I’m on vacation. What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” she answered. She looked up at Jack and chewed on her lip, “I’m Chica.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Tyler’s dog?”

She nodded. “I’m a Skinwalker. I prefer to be a dog. And when Tyler found me, I couldn’t leave him. Not like that. So I pretended to be his dog since I couldn’t tell a human what I was.”

“What would William want with a human?” Felix asked.

“It’s Ethan,” Signe explained. “He’s a merman.”

“You’re kidding me,” Kathryn gasped.

“I wish I was.”

“Where are they now?” Jack questioned.

“I don’t know. I escaped before I saw where the van was going. I should’ve waited,” Amy said with a sigh. “I hope they’re okay.”

“They’re going to be okay because we’re going to get them back,” Kathryn assured.

“Damn right we are,” PJ replied. “If William exposes one of us, he exposes all of us.” He pulled the man underneath him to his feet. “Now, you’re going to tell us where your hideout is.”

The man glared at PJ until PJ flashed his fangs. He started whimpering again.

“Just tell us what we want to know, and we’ll leave you alone,” Signe said as she appeared at PJ’s side.

“We’re stationed at the old Polaris factory. Shit’s been closed down for years until William took it over. There’s no way you’ll get past all the guards though.” He smirked.

“I think we have a bit of a chance,” Signe grinned back. “Tony, take this man to the house for further questioning.”

“But youse said-”

Signe pointed her blade at him. “We’re not done with you yet. You lot need to answer for everything you’ve put us through the past few decades.”

The man swallowed harshly. Tony and PJ escorted the man out of the hotel and into the car outside.

“I’m so sorry,” Amy said. “If we would’ve listened to you in the first place, none of this would’ve happened.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jack replied. “Tyler made the choice, not you. And you were both just looking out for Ethan.”

“What’s important now is we make it right,” Signe added.

“Thank you,” Amy said with a breath of relief. “For everything.”

“It’s what we do,” Jack smiled.

 

Ethan flopped into a large fish tank. He twisted his body around and tried to jump out, but the trap door shut. His head collided with wood. He flopped back into the water and rubbed his head. Ethan swam around the tank, frantically looking for an exit.

William chuckled as he watched Ethan swimming around. “He’s beautiful.”

The man beside him nodded. “Now that we have him, what do we do?”

“Call a press. Put pictures on the internet? I want news of this to spread like wildfire,” William replied.

The man sighed and looked over at Ethan. The Merman had calmed down and wrapped himself around a rock, hiding most of his body from the man’s view.

“And what about the human?”

“He’ll be fine for now. Just tell Dan to make sure he doesn’t get out.” William started to walk away. “Oh, and Arin, don’t disappoint me this time.”

“Yes, sir.” Arin stood at the fish tank and waited for William to leave the room. He looked back into the tank and watched a fluff of blue hair peek out.

“Sorry about this,” Arin said and leaned against the glass. “We probably scared the shit out of you.” He sighed. “You probably don’t have a clue what I’m saying, do you?”

Ethan popped a little further out from behind the rock. He swam over to the edge and floated face to face with Arin.

“Tyler?”

Arin flinched as the boy’s voice echoed in his mind. He chuckled. “He’s safe, don’t worry. William won’t hurt him.” For now, Arin bitterly thought to himself.

Ethan kept watching Arin. Arin pulled out his phone and called up Dan. Ethan started circling around the tank once again.

As Dan answered the call, Arin pulled the phone away from his ear. He heard a steam of yelling and threats coming from the other end.

“Please tell me you’re having a better time than me,” Dan groaned.

Arin laughed. “I got the quiet one.”

“I’ll trade.”

“Uh, no.”

Dan screamed over the voice for the yelling to stop. “I’m going to have such a headache after this.”

Arin turned and looked in the tank. Ethan was on the bottom of the floor now, playing with some sand. His heart ached.

“I don’t feel right about this.”

Dan sighed. “You too?”

“I mean, have you ever heard of a Mermaid or Merman or whatever hurting anyone? I thought Sirens were the bad ones.”

“They’re supposed to be docile, yeah.”

Arin put his back against the fish tank. “I want people to know the truth too, but this guy didn’t do anything wrong. He’s not… he’s not like the others.”

“Maybe we can think of a way for them to get out of this?”

“Dan, even if we did, how the hell are we supposed to get them through security? Oh hey, guys. Just releasing all our hard work, ya know. Nothing serious.”

“Yeah… we need back up.”

 

Signe spied the gates through her binoculars. “Okay, so there’s two guarding the gate, one patrolling in a car, and several guys stationed at the front door. And that’s just the ones I can see.”

“How many people does William have?” PJ grumbled.

“Well, he’s been at this for a while. He’s probably got an army behind him.” Signe lowered her binoculars.

“Okay, so headcount,” Felix mumbled. “Two vampires, three humans: one with a murderous dickhead inside him, one with a knife, and one for moral support, female Legolas, and a furry. We’re in great shape.”

“Felix,” Jack hissed.

“I called Cry for backup,” Signe said cooly.

“You’re serious?” Felix yelled, but then lowered his voice. “Cry doesn’t show off his form for like anyone.”

“He’ll do it for Ethan, trust me. Mythologicals stick together you know.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “Wait, Cry is a Merman too?”

“Something like that,” Felix grumbled.

“Shhh!” Signe ducked down. “Someone’s coming this way.”

The group slid deeper into the shrubbery as a truck drove out of the gate. The gates closed soon after with a locking clank.

“That’s going to be hell to get through,” Kathryn said.

“I could distract them,” Amy mused. “Who wouldn’t want to stop and pet a doggo?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Jack replied.

“Then I can follow her and disarm the gate,” Kathryn added. “That will at least get us inside.”

“Then PJ and Felix can take out as many as they can as fast as they can,” Signe offered. “I’ll help too, but you two are way faster than me.”

“And that should get us inside,” PJ said. “But shouldn’t there be security cameras?”

“It’s impossible to disarm them without being inside,” Robin replied. “We’re going to have to move fast once we’re in.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack spoke.

Signe whispered, “We’ll wait until Cry gets here. I don’t want him-”

“I’m here.” The whole bush jumped, and Cry sat outside with a smile. “Sounds like a solid plan.”

Signe muttered something about Cry showing up.

“Okay, Amy, we’re up,” Kathryn said and pulled her bag onto her shoulders.

Amy nodded and shifted. She pranced out of the bush and toward the gate. Kathryn kept low and followed her out.

The woman watching the gate had her feet propped up on the controls. She sipped her coffee and watched people march about their posts.

“Woof!”

The woman jumped out of her seat and looked around. Chica looked up through the window, her tail wagging.

“Aww,” the woman said and stood up. “Hello there puppers. Are you lost?” She got out of her station and walked out to Chica.

Chica barked again and ran around in a circle. She walked over to the woman, who examined Chica’s neck.

“Huh, no collar. Better call the police and see if-” She stood up and came face to face with Kathryn. The Elf smiled before grabbing the woman in a headlock and covering her mouth. Kathryn shushed the woman as she kicked, screamed, and eventually slumped over in Kathryn’s grasp. Kathryn pulled the guard into the control box and examined the buttons.

Amy shifted and came to her side. “So which one is it?”

“I’m looking,” Kathryn grumbled. She started poking at buttons. The light on the guard box flickered, the air conditioning came on, (why did they have a button for a hot chocolate maker?) ah there was the gate unlock button. She heard the gate click and squeak as it drifted open.

After flashing a thumbs up, the rest of the crew made their way down to the courtyard. Right away, Felix and PJ started taking out the guards one by one. Soft cries could be heard ringing through the whole courtyard. Watching them fly about was almost mesmerizing. Of course, they only drank enough blood to make the guards pass out, but still, there weren’t many guarantees the men would recover from those bites.

After Felix and PJ gave an all-clear thumbs up, the rest of the rescue team ran to the front gate. They stared at the massive wall. It must’ve stood about two stories high with a solid metal door.

“Okay, someone feel around for a button,” PJ said as he began patting the wall.

“Or we could just use the keypad over there,” Cry said as he pointed to a small box.

“That would require a key card,” Robin said. He felt the pockets of one of the fallen guards and pulled out a rectangular card. Robin slid it into the lock and watched the light turn green. The doors hissed and slid open.

“That was easy,” Felix mumbled.

“Keep your eyes open,” Signe said. “Who knows where they’re keeping Ethan and Tyler.” She heard Amy whimper beside her.

“We should split up,” Cry said.

PJ wrinkled his nose. “Don’t you watch movies? That’s how they pick us off one by one.”

“Yeah, but this is a spy movie, and we’re the good guys,” Cry answered. “I’ll take you and Felix. Signe, Robin, and Jack can try and find Ethan. Amy and Kathryn, see if you can sniff out Tyler.”

“So what will you three do?” Signe asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I think we have a score to settle with William.” He cracked his knuckles. “Message us when you get the two of them out.”

“Just don’t die,” Signe mumbled.

“Good luck,” Robin said. The three teams split up down three different hallways, each one hoping they’d have luck getting out in one piece.

 

Chica’s nose skimmed the floor. She caught Tyler’s scent, while faint, drug across the white tile. Her tail wagged. There was no blood smell to go with it, so she hoped for now he was safe. Her head perked.

Kathryn moved from doorway to doorway, only looking like a brown blur to those who weren’t paying attention. She had a bow and arrow in hand. Thankfully, she always kept defensive weapons in her backpack, or this may have been a bit difficult.

“I hear him,” Amy said as she shifted.

Kathryn looked down the hall. “Anyone else?”

“There’s another voice, but I don’t know who it belongs to. It sounds like… he’s talking. Like they’re old friends talking or something.”

“Keep out of sight,” Kathryn whispered. She pulled Amy in with her and shut a door. From down the hall, they heard footsteps approaching. Kathryn pulled her bow taut. Amy shifted and let out a low growl. The footsteps passed the door and continued down the hallway.

Chica and Kathryn both relaxed at the same time.

“I have an idea,” Kathryn continued. “You did pretty good distracting that one guard. Maybe we can distract this one too. If you lead him away, maybe I can get Tyler out before you get back.”

Chica’s head nodded, and she pawed at the door. Kathryn opened it, and the golden retriever pranced out.

As Chica padded down the hallway, she noted a man with a bush for hair sitting backwards on a chair. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“You know, with all the shit you’ve been through,” the stranger said, “I’m surprised you’re still going.”

“Stubbornness will do that to you.” Tyler’s voice came through the door.

Chica wagged her tail. She ran up to the stranger and barked. The man jumped and looked around. He locked eyes with Chica, and his face wrinkled in confusion.

“A dog? How the fuck,” he looked around and stood up, “did you get in here?”

Chica ran up and jumped. Her paws landed on his stomach, and the man let out a grunt. He held Chica’s paws as she tried to reach up and lick his face.

“Hey,” the man said through a laugh. “You’re going to get in trouble. I don’t know how you got in here, but you need to get going.” He pushed Chica off onto the floor.

Chica heard Tyler say her name under his breath. She ran around in a circle and barked again. The man shushed and tried to grab her. Chica danced out of his way. She turned around and barked again.

The man reached out again, and Chica took off running. She didn’t know where she was going, but away from there was her only goal. The man followed. Chica hoped she could buy enough time.

Kathryn looked around before making her way to the door. She looked at the lock and cursed. Of course it needed a key. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.

She looked around for some way to open it. Oh, wait. She carried bobby pins. It looked like a simple tumbler lock, or at least she hoped it was. She pulled a pin out of her bag and picked off the knob. As she folded the pin around, she heard voices coming down the corridor. Kathryn cursed under her breath. She stuck the pin into the lock and prepped a second bobby pin to slide into the bottom.

As the footsteps got closer, Kathryn’s heartbeat increased. She picked out one, two… three tumblers prepped.

“Hey!” a voice yelled. Kathryn ducked back as a bullet blasted through the halls. She dove down for her bag and grabbed her bow and arrow. The other man fired as well, landing a bullet into her shoulder. She cried out and rolled over to the side, ignoring the pain.

Kathryn lined up her shot. It hit one of them between the eyes. As the other recoiled, she grabbed another arrow. He fired three times, and Kathryn rolled to the left. Aim, breathe, fire. The arrow lodged itself into his neck. Kathryn cursed her aim and grabbed another arrow as the man collapsed. She stood over him and fired another arrow into his heart.

“Wasted three arrows,” she said and clicked her tongue. “You couldn’t have left me alone.”

Kathryn looked at one of the man’s pockets. Oh… a key ring. How useful. Now she had to hurry. Kathryn fumbled through the keys and pleaded in her mind for the other guards to stay away. She didn’t want to kill anyone else. Finally, a key turned in the lock. She exhaled and opened the door.

Kathryn peaked in. “Tyler?”

She saw a fist flying toward her. Kathryn backed up in time for the hand to sail over her head.

“Easy! I’m on your side!” she yelled. “I’m here with Amy.”

“Who are you?” the boy questioned and stepped outside.

“I’m Kathryn. I’m one of her friends.”

“Is she okay?” Tyler asked and looked around. He saw the guards on the ground, and his eyebrows rose.

“She’s distracting that other guard. We’re getting you and Ethan out of here. Follow me.”

Kathryn motioned for Tyler to follow her down the hall. Tyler followed for a moment then stopped in his tracks.

“I’m not leaving here without her or Ethan.”

Kathryn groaned. “Oh for the love of- you’re defenseless, and these men have guns. Big guns.”

“You took them out with a bow and arrow.”

“Because I learned how to. Look, I told Amy I’d get you out of here safely, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“Okay, so protect me,” Tyler said and ran off down the hallway. Kathryn cursed his name before following him down the hall. She knew this was too easy.

 

Robin peeked around the corner. Two men stood in front of a locked silver door; the keypad looked like a thumbprint access. He ducked out of sight as a guard turned their head toward him.

“I really don’t want to kill anyone to get in there,” Signe said with a sigh. “That will attract a lot of unwanted attention.”

“So what do we do?” Jack asked.

Robin rubbed his chin. “I could distract them.”

“No,” Jack and Signe said at once. Robin shrugged and muttered under his breath.

“Could we knock them out?” Jack asked. “That way, we can use them to open the door.”

“It could work,” Signe said, “but it’s still going to attract attention.”

Bark.

All three held their breaths. They heard a few people shouting, some laughing, and others cursing as a golden retriever came barrelling down the hall. It slid on the tiles before running towards the guards at the end.

“Someone grab it for the love of Christ!” a man yelled out.

The trio pushed themselves into the shadows. Chica ran past them with about 5 guys on her tail. They heard the guards at the end of the hall shuffle and paw pads slide to a stop. One man cried out. Chica yelped, but she took off again.

“Stupid dog ran right into me!” one yelled. The other man laughed as they took off down the hall after her. The voices disappeared down the hall and to the right.

“That was convenient,” Robin mused, “at least Amy is having fun.”

“Move, quick,” Jack said as he pushed the two out. They ran up to the door and looked at the lock.

“Oh, I know how to deal with these,” Robin said. “Anyone have a paperclip?”

“Robin, that’s a fingerprint lock,” Jack grumbled.

“No, I’m serious. These locks come with keys in case the user gets locked out. But if you jam a paperclip into it and twist, it pops right open.”

“I’m not going to ask how you know that,” Signe responded. She fished around in her bag a bit. “I might have one, but I’m not sure.”

“Well you better hurry,” Jack said. “I think I hear someone coming.”

Signe dug around in her bag faster. Before she could pull anything out, the doors slid open. Jack found himself face to face with Arin.

Jack blinked. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Jack?” Arin furrowed a brow. “Wait, why are you here?”

Signe tackled the man and pinned him to the ground. She pulled her knife out of her pocket.

“Easy,” Arin grunted. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“Before or after I pressed my knife into your throat?” she hissed.

Arin put up his hands in surrender. He looked at Jack. “If I knew it was you causing all the commotion outside, I would’ve opened the door sooner.”

Robin raised a brow. “You know this guy?”

Jack sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Arin interrupted. “I want to help you get this kid out of here.”

Signe raised a brow. “And why should we trust you after everything you’ve done?”

Arin looked to the side and sighed. “Look, I know if I was you, I’d be skeptical too, but I really want to help. I know Merpeople don’t hurt people, and I wasn’t on board when they grabbed the kid either. I joined this place for justice, not vengeance.”

Jack heard Anti groan, “I think he’s telling the truth. He wasn’t looking for trouble with you. He just wanted answers.”

“I believe you,” Jack said to both Arin and Anti. Signe stood up and put her knife back.

“Jack!”

Jack turned and saw Ethan swimming around in circles. Every once and awhile, he’d press his hands up to the glass and backflip.

Jack helped Arin to his feet, and Arin straightened his shirt.

“There’s a trap door at the top. Ethan should be able to jump out of the opening. From there, once he shifts into his human form, you should be able to get him out. But wait here. I’m going to put the security cameras on a loop and buy you guys time.”

“Thank you,” Jack said with a smile. Arin flashed a smile before grabbing a nearby ladder. He put it under the camera and climbed up. Careful not to step into view, he set the camera to replay the last few minutes where Ethan was laying at the bottom of the tank. After rearranging the cables, Arin flashed the group a thumbs up.

Signe eyed the ladder to the rafters and climbed up. Jack followed her, and Robin made sure the doors shut behind them. Signe stood above the aquarium and slid the trapdoor lock open. She and Jack both pulled the door up. Ethan swam around in circles as he looked up at them. After building a good amount of speed, he lurched forward and through the door. With a heavy plop, he landed on top of the aquarium.

Ethan’s tail started to recede. Signe looked away and blushed. Jack cleared his throat and looked down at Arin.

“Did he come with clothes?”

Arin shook his head. Jack cursed and looked around. There was a cloth off to the side, but it looked too big… wait-

“Signe, can you cut that cloth into something we could wrap around him?”

Signe nodded and made her way down to the floor.

Ethan stood up on wobbly legs, and Jack caught him as he lost his balance. He looked up at Jack with a thankful smile.

“Easy, you still got your sea legs,” Jack joked.

“Jack,” Ethan said with a smile.

“Yes, that’s me.” He helped a shaking Ethan walk down the rafters. When he came to the steps, Robin and Arin were waiting.

“Toss him down. We’ll catch him,” Robin called up. Jack looked over at Ethan, who was shaking as he looked down the ladder. Jack put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder, and Ethan glanced up at him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked. Ethan tilted his head. Jack repeated, “Trust. Trust?”

Ethan furrowed his brows. “Trust?”

“Yes,” Jack said and hoped Ethan wasn’t just repeating him. He picked up Ethan and held him in the air. Ethan yelped and clung to Jack’s neck.

“This is going to be harder than I thought,” Jack grumbled. He put Ethan back down, and Ethan let go. Ethan was trembling, and Jack didn’t know how else to get it through to him. He started climbing down the ladder, ignoring Ethan calling his name repeatedly. He landed on the ground and looked up.

“Jump,” Jack said and waved for Ethan to follow. Ethan shook his head and backed up. “Ethan, please.”

Ethan poked his head out so his eyes looked over the edge. Jack held his arms up. Ethan leaned farther over the edge and called out Jack’s name once again.

“We’re going to get Tyler,” Robin called up.

“Tyler,” Ethan repeated and smiled. He looked around the room. His smile turned into a concerned line. “Tyler?”

“Come on,” Jack said and waved his hand. “Tyler. We’re getting Tyler.”

Ethan leaned farther over the edge. He lost his balance and tumbled over with a shriek. Robin, Jack, and Arin caught him before he hit the floor. Ethan scrambled and clung onto Jack once again.

Jack laughed. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I got the cloth ready,” Signe said and held it up. “It’s not pretty, but it works.”

“Good.” Jack grabbed it from her and wrapped it around Ethan. He fastened it around the shoulders and waist with the spare rope lying on the floor.

“Don’t tell me you saw this in a movie once too,” Robin said with a smirk.

Jack stuck out his tongue. “Hey, it works.”

“The quickest way out of here is through the north corridor,” Arin said. “You’re going to make a left, walk past three hallways, then a right. The guards there are out on break right now, and the crew who is taking over for them are helping… catch a dog apparently.”

“Chica,” Signe said with a sigh. “She’s with us.”

Arin laughed. “That figures. Now hurry. I don’t know how long your friend will have them distracted.”

Robin helped Ethan walk to the doors, and Signe poked her head out to make sure the coast was clear.

“We’re even?” Arin asked and held his hand out to shake.

Jack looked down at his hand and shook it. “Thanks for everything, Arin.”

“No problem. Now get out of here before they catch you.”

Jack sent one last smile before following his team out. Signe motioned for Robin and Jack to follow her down the hallway. Robin made sure Ethan had a good grip on his shoulder before following, and Jack kept glancing back to make sure no one was sneaking up on them.

As they continued down the hall, Anti started to get nervous. Jack furrowed his brow.

“Something seems off,” Anti murmured. “It’s too quiet.”

Jack stopped. “Signe.”

She turned to look at him and slowed to a halt. Robin did the same at her side.

“We’re almost out, Jack. What’s wrong?”

Jack looked at them and listened. Anti still refused to take the silence as an answer. Jack looked up at one of the security cameras, which focused on him. He moved a bit to the right, and the camera followed.

“They see us,” Jack yelped. Signe helped Robin get Ethan into his arms, and they took off. As they ran, they heard doors clicking closed. Jack cursed under his breath. If they locked the door to the exit before they got there, they were sunk.

“Just one more hall,” Signe said as she turned to the right. She slid to a stop, and Robin crashed into her. Jack skid to a halt before he ran into Robin.

There were at least ten men, all with guns, all pointed at them.

The man up front started to slowly clap.

“Well, you have proven to be a bigger pain in my neck than I thought.”

Jack watched Signe grip the knife at her side, but by the look on her face, she knew it wouldn’t do much help. He swallowed hard.

“You’re William, aren’t you?”

The man chuckled, “Nice to meet you face to face.” He held out his hand. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll take my fish back.”

Robin took a step back, his jaw locked, and took in a deep breath.

William sighed. “Now, don’t make this harder on yourselves than it needs to be.”

Jack heard a click from behind him, and guards surrounded them. Jack heard Anti growl. Even Anti knew he wouldn’t be able to fight his way out of this one.

Jack sighed and held his hands up. He looked over at Signe and nodded. She groaned and dropped her knife on the floor, raising her hands up as well. Robin looked over at them. His grip tightened around Ethan’s shoulders.

“Robin,” she said and sent a gentle smile his way. “It’s okay.”

Robin looked over at Jack, who nodded and sadly smiled. Robin looked at the ground, his eyes darting back and forth. He exhaled harshly through his nose and set Ethan down. Ethan looked up at him, his eyes wide and chest heaving.

“I’m sorry,” Robin whispered to Ethan.

“Now, we’re going to take a walk,” William said. “I want to have a nice heart to heart chat with you all.”

“I’ve been waiting to talk to you for a while,” Jack hissed through his teeth.

“I’m sure you have,” William chuckled. He ordered one of his men to pick up Ethan. Ethan let out a high pitched squeal, but as hard as he struggled, the guard wouldn’t let him go. The guard pulled Ethan forward and back to where he was being held.

“Now, follow me,” William said as he walked past the trio. He paused to look Jack over. Jack narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth. William grinned and continued down the hall. Signe started to walk first and put her hand on Robin’s back. Jack joined them soon after.

William led them down the hallway farther than they had been before. They came to a large white door in the middle of the building. William opened it with a retina scanner and walked inside. He told his men to get out three chairs and sat behind a desk.

“Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” William spoke, “but I have some of my own. I hope you don’t mind if I go first.”

The guards returned with three wooden chairs. The three sat, or in Signe’s case were forced to sit. Jack felt a guard pulling his hands behind him and locking them together in metal rings. He saw Signe’s shoulders twitch as they did the same to her. From his angle, he could see Robin staring a hole into William’s forehead.

“Now, what do you want with my fish?” William asked as he pulled out a cigarette. “Oh wait, do any of you have a problem with cigarette smoke?”

“He’s asthmatic,” Signe hissed and nudged her head toward Jack.

“Sorry,” William said and put the cigarette away. “Now, my question?”

“You have no right to take him,” Robin piped up. “What did he ever do to you?”

William sighed. “Nothing. However, he’s easiest to expose. Other monsters I need to shift into their usual form. He just needs a little water.”

“Just like Mark, right?” Jack spat.

William blinked. “I’m sorry, who?”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Mark. You drowned him in a sink in his own home.”

William’s eyebrows creased further, but then they rose to his hairline. “Wait, I remember him now. He was that Asian looking kid, right?”

Jack’s stomach burned. “Yes, and you killed him for no reason.”

“It was self-defense,” William said with a shrug. “He came at me with a bat. What was I supposed to do?”

“You broke into his house! You attacked him! Don’t give me that bullshit.”

“Language, young man,” William grumbled. “Yes, I admit, I did kill him. But he was conversing with the enemy. He was far from innocent.”

“He was a college student for fuck’s sake.”

“Now, if you’re not going to talk nice, I’m going to stop talking to you,” William sighed.

“Jack,” Signe whispered and looked over at him. She mouthed the word ‘breathe’. Jack took in a deep breath and exhaled a bunch of nerves.

“And who is the enemy?” Robin asked.

William dug through his desk drawer. “Oh please, you hardly need me to introduce you to him. He came with you tonight. Thank you, by the way, for delivering him right to me.”

“What did you do?” Jack growled.

“Nothing yet,” William said. He pulled out a gun, and Signe sucked in a breath. Jack watched William load it with silver bullets, “but don’t worry. I’ll free us both of him soon.”

“You son of a bitch,” Jack growled. William cocked the gun and pointed it at Jack. Anti roared inside him, and Jack struggled to keep Anti at bay.

“Now, you’re going to make me waste a bullet,” William said through his teeth. “You seem like a nice kid. I’d hate to kill you in front of your girlfriend.”

“Jack,” Signe hissed. Jack kept his eyes locked on William.

William smirked. “You don’t Hulk out, and we won’t have a problem, got it?”

Jack felt sweat lining his brow. Anti kept ordering Jack to let him free, but Jack knew he couldn’t risk it. He relaxed into his chair and breathed heavily.

“Good now?” William purred, a smirk sliding across his face. Jack chose not to answer. “Good. Now, my second question. I could use a Sensitive on my side. You attract the beasts like flies to a floodlight. And in return, I’d offer protection. Any takers?”

Jack wanted to answer, but he knew another remark would probably get him shot. He set his jaw and chose to glare. William’s eyes shifted from Jack to Robin.

“I’ve been watching you too... Robin is it? I know how tough it’s been for you. Seems like everywhere you go, the monsters have uprooted you. Canada, Spain, England-” Robin’s face paled a little more with each country, “Sweden… they’ve even tried to kill your grandparents.”

“How…?”

“I look into those I’m interested in. Don’t even get me started on how much I know about little Wiishu here.” His eyes flickered over to Signe then back at Robin. “They’ve been more than unfair to you, haven’t they?”

Robin glared, but even he couldn’t argue. “Why would I want to join you? You kill people.”

William sighed. “Only when necessary. Now the choice is yours. I’m not going to force your hand. Everyone here is here by choice.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass,” Robin spat.

“Suit yourself,” William said with a shrug. “If you change your mind, just say so.”

Robin narrowed his eyes and scowled. William’s eyes set back on Signe.

“And you, I don’t even know where to start with you. Your parents have been the biggest pain in my side since I started in this business.”

“Just doing our job,” Signe shot back.

“What, protecting them?” William rolled his eyes. “Please, you’ve killed more beasts than I could ever count. You almost took my vengeance from me. Good thing that girl showed up, or you would’ve had Felix dead where he stood.” He smirked.

“Jack already knew, so don’t try to manipulate him,” Signe hissed.

“But does he know your family considered killing him?” Jack’s eyebrows rose. Signe’s shoulders stiffened. “Oh, I’m guessing not.”

Jack looked over at Signe, but she refused to make eye contact.

“That’s a lie,” Jack spat.

William chuckled. “I wish it was. You see, once my experiment on you kind of… backfired, a rather nasty monster grew inside of you. Anti, I think he called himself. Anyway, her family told her if you ever got out of hand, she was to kill you on the spot. She agreed, reluctantly. I wouldn’t put it past her to stay your girlfriend just to keep an eye on you, honestly. She’s done it before.”

“Don’t,” Signe growled.

“Oooh, did I strike a nerve?” William said and leaned on his desk toward her. “Don’t like being called out on your own game, do you?”

“I’d want her to,” Jack piped up. William’s gaze slid over to him. “If I got out of control, I’d want her to kill me and keep other people safe, instead of becoming a monster.” Like you, Jack wanted to add, but he held his tongue.

William sighed and stood up straight. “Well, this was an interesting conversation. However, it’s time to wrap up our little pow-wow.” He walked away from his desk and put the gun in the pocket of his jacket.“Time to go kill a few beasts.”

William left the room and ordered two men to keep an eye on them, along with something Jack couldn’t make out. Jack kept his eyes on William as long as he could. The doors slid shut, and the room slid into silence.

Signe exhaled and rested her head against the back of the chair. Robin cursed under his breath and looked down at the ground. Jack swallowed thickly. He hoped Felix could stay out of William's way.

 

“This is getting really old,” Cry grumbled as he readjusted the mask on his face. “All clear.”

Felix and PJ took their hands from their eyes. Cry pushed over one of the stone statues in front of him and sighed. “Well at least at this rate, there won’t be any henchman left to stop us from taking Ethan.”

Felix looked inside one of the doors. “William has to be around here somewhere.”

“I swear we’ve been down this hall already,” PJ grumbled.

“They all look the same,” Cry spoke and adjusted the hood of his jacket.

Felix folded his arms. “They had to have gotten those two out by now. We’re probably wasting our time.” He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “But still no word from them.”

PJ glanced at one of the cameras. “I feel like something’s gone wrong.”

“You too?” Cry asked. “Less and less guards have come our way.”

“Well, they haven’t gotten very far with us,” Felix said and snickered. His smile slid away. “Or they needed their guards for something else.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Cry replied.

PJ’s face stiffened, “You don’t think-”

“Oh, I think.” Cry grit his teeth.

“Shh, do you hear that?” Felix strained his ears.

PJ listened as well. “Heavy breathing and an elevated pulse?”

Felix walked over to one of the doors. He put his ear to it and placed his hand on the knob. He flung the door open, fangs bared. A girl with blond hair tumbled out and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Hey, you’re that Amy girl,” PJ said. He helped her to her feet. “What are you doing alone?”

“I was a distraction,” she replied. “I’m surprised I didn’t run into you. I had a whole crew chasing after me. Thankfully, they were called away or something.” She looked around. “You haven’t seen Tyler and Kathryn anywhere, have you?”

“No,” Cry answered, “but I’m hoping that means they got out.”

“Did you see Jack, Signe, and Robin?” Felix questioned.

Amy sighed. “I ran all over this place, and I didn’t see them once.”

Cry turned his head about the corridor. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Well we’re not going to find them by standing here,” Felix said as he walked down the hallway. “We’ve got to run into someone if we keep moving forward.”

PJ sighed. “Someone is the part I’m afraid of.”

Amy nearly tripped over a rock on the ground. Cry caught her hand and helped her regain her balance. She was about to thank him until she realized there were several more statues surrounding them. All with terrified faces. Amy’s mouth gaped.

“Those weren’t here when I hid.”

Cry drew in a sharp breath. “We should get moving.”

Amy wanted to press further, but she chose to ignore her urge. The four followed Felix down the hall. Or at least they did until he pressed his back up against the wall. He turned and put a finger to his lips. The three stopped in their tracks.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, though quiet. Felix’s nails dug into the wall. A foot came into view. Felix leaped forward. He tackled a man down to the ground and bared his fangs.

“Wait!” Amy cried and ran forward.

An arrow lodged itself into Felix’s shoulder. He screeched and looked to his left.

Kathryn lowered her bow. “Oops, forgot you were on our team.”

“Really?” Felix yelped. He backed up and pulled the arrow out of his arm.

Tyler backed up and got into a fighting stance. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but-”

“Tyler!” Amy crashed into him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Tyler staggered a bit but eased into her hug.

“You’re okay,” he said as he hugged her back. He looked up at the three boys and pursed his lips. “I don’t even want to know what you all are. I’ve had enough weird things happen tonight to last me a lifetime.”

“Perhaps that’s for the best,” Cry said. “Well, that’s one mystery solved.”

“Now we just gotta find the human trio and Ariel and we should be good,” Felix mused.

Amy’s head perked. She turned her head, and her eyes widened.

“Felix, MOVE.”

A gunshot rang out. Amy shoved herself into Felix. Felix staggered backward, and Amy collapsed into his chest, breathing heavily. The smell of blood engulfed Felix’s senses.

“Amy!” Kathryn yelped.

Amy gritted her teeth and rested her forehead against Felix’s chest. Felix brought his hand away from her shoulder, and his fingers came back red. He swallowed thickly and passed her off to Kathryn.

A chuckle. “She doesn’t even know who you are, and she’s risking her life for you. You’re good at manipulation, aren’t you?”

Felix’s eyes widened. He balled his hands into fists. “I could say the same about you.”

William stepped from the shadows, a few men flanking his sides.

“Now, I don’t want any trouble, so here’s the deal,” William purred. “I have something you want, and you have something I want. How about a trade?”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Where is he? I swear if you hurt him-”

William blinked. “Oh wait, I think we’re talking about different people. See, I’m not giving your pet fish back, boy.”

PJ put a hand on Felix’s shoulder before he could do anything drastic. “Where are they?”

“Oh, they’re safe for now,” William replied. “However, I give the order, and you won’t find them in this life.”

“And what’s stopping us from ending this right now without your deal?” Felix asked.

“Because I told a few people if I don’t return in fifteen minutes to kill them anyway.” William shrugged. “I’d rather not, but if you don’t cooperate, you vampires won’t be the only thing that’s dead around here.”

“What do you want?” Kathryn asked.

“Him,” William raised his gun at Felix. “Right here, right now. We finish the battle that started 30 years ago. Then once he’s dead, you can have your friends back.”

Felix’s eyes locked onto William’s. He brushed PJ’s hand off of his shoulder. “How do I know you won’t go back on your word?”

“I’m a fair man.”

“Yeah, as long as the odds are in your favor.”

“Do we have a deal or not? Your friends are kind of counting on you right now.”

Felix started walking forward.

“Don’t-”

Felix turned his head. “You know, Cry, I’ve lived a good long life. I mean, what human is able to say they lived for 300 years?” He smiled a genuine smile and turned his eyes to PJ. “I think I’m going to be a bit late for work tomorrow.”

“Felix,” PJ grit his teeth. “You don’t have to-”

“Call in? Yeah, the line’s probably dead.” Felix chuckled. He turned and walked straight toward William. William’s guards tensed. Some clicked their weapons. William held up a hand and silenced all of them.

“Well,” Felix said and stood right in front of William. His fangs and claws receded. Iced blue eyes stared straight at William’s. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Trying to make me feel bad by using your human form?” William asked and chuckled. Felix continued to stare. “No matter. A trade is a trade.”

He readied his gun.

Felix grinned and took in a deep breath. He turned his head to Cry, his eyes tearing up. “Tell Mark to take good care of Jack for me, okay?”

“Tell him yourself.”

Cry lowered his hood, revealing several hissing snakes. His fingers grasped the corners of his mask. He pulled it away, his eyes still closed. When he opened them, there was no iris or pupil; they were snow white. Kathryn pushed Tyler’s head down. Amy dug her head into his chest. PJ brought his arm up to cover his eyes.

William gasped. “Shield your eyes!”

Cry let out loud shriek, revealing sharp fangs. A bright light pulsed from his eyes.

By the time the light settled, William had disappeared. Felix stood in front of a scattered stone army, ones that didn’t take William’s warning in time.

“Show yourself, you coward,” Cry hissed.

“Oh, I know when I’ve met the queen of chess,” William’s voice echoed through the corridor. “Guess you’re not taking my deal then?”

Cry narrowed his eyes. “Try to kill them and Anti will be the least of your problems.”

“How about a little game then?” William purred.

Felix’s knees buckled, and he fell onto his hands and knees. PJ was at his side in seconds, offering support. Felix stood on shaky legs and put most of his weight on PJ.

Cry put his mask back on. He whispered to Felix, “You owe me one”

Felix started to laugh. He shook his head.

There was static down the hall. Faint but if one listened, they could hear a frantic guard calling for backup.

“He’s… need backup!” There was a choking noise before it fell into static again.

The room held its breath.

Cry smirked. “I think they found out who the real queen on our chessboard is.”

 

Jack watched one of the guards roll up his sleeve to look at his watch. He glanced over at the other and sent a sly smile. The other nodded.

Robin blew air through his lips. “I hate waiting.”

“What happens if I have to pee?” Signe asked. One of the men curled up their lip in disgust.

Jack’s leg started to bounce out of boredom. He looked around the room, noting William kept his room pretty bare. It felt colder than his boss’s office.

Anti snuffed. “I could take them with my hands behind my back.”

Jack smiled involuntarily. He drew in a deep breath and whispered, “I trust you.”

Signe’s head turned to him. She raised an eyebrow, and he smiled back at her.

Jack’s ears began to grow. His eyes shifted to a green color; the corneas dipped into black.

“Hey,” one of the guards barked.

Jack looked innocent. “Something wrong.”

The man aimed his gun at Jack. He pulled the trigger. Click. Click click click. He shook the gun. “Wha-”

“What luck. It’s empty.” Anti’s teeth flashed. He tugged at the cuffs behind him. “Now, am I going to have to break these, or are you two going to make this easy on yourselves and hand over the key?”

The other man held his gun to the back of Anti’s head. Signe let out a distressed noise, but Anti’s expression stayed the same.

Anti clicked his tongue, “I wouldn't fire that gun if I were you.”

The man grinned. He pulled the trigger. The gun went off, but it wasn’t Anti screaming. The man clutched his bleeding hand, the gun’s barrel flying in all different directions. Pieces lodged themselves in the desk, the wall, and the chair, but Anti remained unharmed.

“That was fun,” Anti said with a laugh. “Oh, what’s this? One of your gun pieces somehow lodged itself into my keyhole.”

“What are you?” The one guard growled.

Anti looked up, his green eyes glinting in the low light. “Your worst nightmare.” He erupted into laughter.

The handcuff clicked open. The man clicked his gun. Anti ducked behind the desk as bullets flew into his chair.

The man spoke into the radio on his coat. “Requesting backup in William’s office immediately. The Hulk is loose. I repeat, he is loose! We need backup!”

Anti leaped up from behind the desk, his claws extended. He grabbed onto the man’s throat and squeezed. The man choked and tried to pull Anti off. Anti dug his nails deep into the man’s throat. Blood splattered across his face.

The second man leaped forward. He struggled to pull Anti off.

Anti ripped the other man’s throat open further as he was pulled up. He turned around and slashed at the other man. The man backed up and grabbed Jack’s chair.

Anti threw his head back and laughed. “That desperate, are we?” He started slowly walking towards him. “It won’t keep you safe for long.”

The man backed up to the door. His hand reached down and twisted the knob. After the lock clicked, he bolted down the hallway.

Anti blinked and chuckled. “Smart man.” He stepped over to the man lying on the floor and searched his pocket. “Oh, there’s the keys. See, if you would’ve given them to me in the first place, you would’ve had a chance. Oh well; you lost the game.”

“Anti,” Signe growled.

He glanced over his shoulder. “He was about to kill Jack, and you’re cross with me?”

“He didn’t have to die.”

“It was self-defense,” Anti echoed William’s words with a shrug. “He came at me with a gun. What was I supposed to do?”

Signe shook her head. Anti walked over and put the key in her cuffs.

“Where’s your sense of humor?” The lock clicked open. Signe rubbed her wrists. Anti walked over and did the same for Robin. He jumped out of his chair like it was on fire. Anti blinked as Robin kept his eyes focused on him.

“Thanks. Now give him back,” Robin spoke.

Anti rolled his eyes. “You two don’t have to threaten me every time I take over. Jack can come back whenever he wants.”

Signe’s eyes narrowed. Anti sighed. His form melted away to reveal a panting Jack, who was very shocked to find a stranger’s blood all over him.

“You good, buddy?” Robin asked.

“I have no idea.”

Signe grabbed onto Jack’s hand, helping him ground himself. “Let’s find the others and get out of here, okay?”

Jack sighed. “That’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.”

After Robin poked his head out of the door, he motioned them forward.

“So, what about Ethan?” Signe asked.

Jack sighed. “They probably took him back to the tank, but I have no idea where that is from here.”

“I could show you.”

The three turned and saw a man with a poof of brown hair following them.

“Dan?” Jack narrowed his eyes. Dan motioned for them to follow him.

“Can we trust this guy?” Robin whispered.

“Arin has Ethan at the exit,” Dan replied. “Once the other guards were called away to deal with William, we got him out. We figured it’d be easier for you all, especially after what you’ve been through.”

Signe eyed him carefully. “What about you two? If you help us, William’s not going to take it easy on you.”

Dan chuckled. “You know, I think Arin and I are ready to retire. We didn’t sign up for this shit.”

“Why the change of heart?” Robin asked.

“Well, about a year ago, the two of us met someone who changed our mind entirely. We thought it was coincidence William asked us to take an innocent man, but after tonight,” Dan turned to look at Jack, “it’s about time we opened our eyes and saw what was really going on here.”

Jack smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We’re not out of here, and I know William and his men are heading this way to take care of you.”

Dan pivoted and turned down a hallway. He stopped when he came face to face with a stone statue. Dan jumped back and clutched his chest. The trio stopped behind him.

Signe sighed. “Looks like Cry was here.”

“He turns people into stone?” Jack asked as his voice squeaked.

“Well yeah, he’s,” she paused, “kind of a Gorgon.”

“Well,” Robin hummed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I thought maybe he was a demon or something,” Jack mumbled. “How did he hide this so well?”

Signe chuckled. “He’s a man of many talents.”

“One of them includes sculpting,” Cry mused behind them. Signe turned and gasped as she came face to face with a white mask.

“Don’t do that,” she said as her hand flew to her heart.

Cry laughed. “I couldn’t help it. You were just standing there whispering about me.”

Jack snuffed. “A Gorgon huh?”

Cry shrugged. “What? I said I was old.”

Jack glanced over Cry’s shoulder. The rest of the team followed behind him, all looking relieved to find their group. Felix caught Jack’s eye.

“The fuck happened to you?” Felix whispered.

Jack pursed his lips. “You know, I couldn’t tell you.” Anti snickered.

Felix shook his head and walked toward him. Jack reached out to take Felix’s hand, and Felix pulled him into a hug.

“Just glad you’re okay,” Felix whispered.

Jack chuckled. “Wow, I’m covered in blood and you’re not freaking out for once. My blood really did do something to you.”

Felix chose not to answer and pulled away. He glanced between the other who humans, who looked tired but relieved to see the others. His eyes rested on Dan and narrowed.

Dan took a step backward. “If we don’t hurry, he’s going to catch the lot of you.”

Cry gestured for Dan to lead them forward, and they set off down the hall. The exit was three corridors away, and they made it without trouble for once. Dan opened the back door and looked out. There was a whisper, and Dan motioned them forward.

As they exited into the early morning air, Arin stood on the other side of the gate. Ethan’s head perked up, and he started bouncing.

“Tyler?” he called out. Arin shushed him.

Tyler stepped around Dan and sent a half smile to Ethan. The blue boy started bobbing up and down faster held onto the fence. Dan led them through the gate, and Ethan practically jumped into Tyler’s arms.

“Glad to see you made it out in one piece,” Arin said as he looked at Jack.

“I really don’t know how to thank you both for this,” Jack replied.

“I remember us telling you we’d make it up to you,” Dan said. “Consider this payback.” He held out his hand. Jack shook it and did the same for Arin.

“Thank you, both, for everything. If you ever need help, you let us know.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Dan replied. The two parties went separate ways, each with a new goal in mind.

 

Tyler sat on the pier as Ethan enjoyed his return to the ocean. He kept swimming around in circles, doing tricks and flips outside the water for Tyler to see. The sunrise cast a glow on the water. Seagulls chirped overhead as waves crashed on the shore.

Ethan swam up to Tyler, his chest heaving and smile wide. Tyler clapped.

“You’re a talented gymnast,” he joked.

Ethan grabbed onto the side of the pier. “Home.”

“Yes, you’re home,” Tyler replied. He sighed. “I guess this is goodbye… for real this time.”

Ethan furrowed his brow. He reached up and wiped a tear from Tyler’s eye. Tyler shook his head and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

From a distance, he saw two heads poke out of the water. They watched Ethan and Tyler, not getting any closer to the reef. Ethan turned his head and smiled. He turned back to Tyler and tried to form a word.

“F-friend,” he said.

Tyler’s laugh came out broken. “Yeah, friend.” He looked back up. “I think your friends are waiting for you.”

Ethan lowered himself back in the water. He dove under and reappeared a few feet away from Tyler. Tyler waved, and Ethan returned the gesture. With a flash of his tail, he disappeared under the waves, as did his two friends in the water.

Tyler stood up on the pier. The sun may have shone on him, but it felt like winter. He rubbed his arms as he walked back to the beach.

Amy was there at the edge of the pier. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed. “You did the right thing.”

“I know,” he replied. He hugged her back. “Still doesn’t make it any easier though.”

“We’ll come back to visit him,” she replied.

Tyler looked back at the water. From a distance, he thought he heard his name, but it must’ve been a trick of the wind. Amy lead him back to where the others were waiting for them.

“I better head back,” PJ spoke. “I didn’t bring my sunscreen.”

“Eh, you could use some sun. You’re looking a bit pasty,” Felix replied. He got a light punch from PJ and started to laugh.

“So, are you heading home now?” Signe asked Tyler.

He sighed. “My flight was supposed to leave in 30 minutes. I’ll have to get a new flight out of here.”

Jack took in a deep breath. “You really have to go?”

Tyler didn’t look into Jack’s eye. He exhaled through his nose.

“Tyler, there’s nothing waiting for us back home,” Amy mumbled. “We could stay here.”

Tyler snuffed. “Where and with what money?”

“You could stay with me,” Jack replied. “at least until you get back up on your feet that is.”

“And I could use some help at the hotel,” PJ mused. “It’d be nice to have an ambassador for humans of some sort.”

“And if that doesn’t work for you, I’m always looking for help in the coffee shop,” Cry added.

Tyler looked between the three of them. He opened his mouth several times to reply, but each time his voice choked up.

“I couldn’t,” he replied at last.

“Tyler,” Amy said with a chuckle. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. This could be our chance to turn our lives around.”

Tyler looked down at Amy. She sent a gentle smile and put a hand on his shoulder. Tyler sighed and glanced back up at Jack.

“Okay.”

Jack beamed. “I might have to clean up a bedroom for you, but we’ll make it work.” He turned his head to Felix, who refused to make eye contact with him. Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Ah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while about staying there,” Felix mumbled. “See, Marzia is done college this semester and…” his eyes teared up. He swallowed thickly, “I don’t know if we’re going to stay here much longer.”

Jack’s heart ached. He took in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to force you to stay behind just because I’m going to miss you. You have a life of your own.” Felix raised a brow. Jack chuckled. “Well, sort of.”

“Maybe I can convince her to stay,” Felix mused. “I mean, there are a lot of makeup jobs in California, right?”

“She can do monster movies,” Cry offered. Felix gave him a light shove on the shoulder.

“So, I’m guessing I can give away your bedroom?” Jack asked.

“For now,” Felix replied. “We’ll make sure to keep in touch though.”

“You’re going to have to,” Cry responded. “What happens when our little Supernatural protection squad needs you?” He turned his head to Jack, who rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not kidding. You could do a lot of good work around here.”

“And I can spread word,” PJ replied. “I mean, people know to come to my hotel already when they need a place to stay. Perhaps you could help them fix their problems.”

“You’ve already helped me and Ken and Mark,” Felix started counting on his fingers.

“Wade,” Signe piped up.

“Me,” Robin added.

“And now Ethan,” Tyler spoke.

“And us,” Amy spoke. “Jack, face it. It’s your purpose in life.”

Jack looked between the team he’d gathered through the years. “No, it’s our purpose in life. I couldn’t have done anything tonight without you all.”

“I guess we’re all part of a Supernatural protection agency then, aren't we?” Cry hummed.

“Jack Septic Eyes’ Supernatural Protection Program,” Felix mused.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Septic eyes?”

“Yeah, you know, like how your eyes turn that sickly green and black color.” Felix laughed as Jack made a face at him.

You know,” Jack hummed, “I actually like the sound of that.”

PJ smiled and stretched. “Well, I should head back home. Felix, care to come with?”

Felix gave Jack one last hug and promised to visit soon. The two vampires dashed off the beach and out of sight.

“You know, I could really go for a cup of coffee right now,” Cry sighed. “My treat and you all are invited.”

“Coffee sounds great,” Kathryn sighed. The group started to walk back toward the coffee shop. Jack looked over at Tyler and hummed.

“Oh, Tyler, before I forget. Do you believe in ghosts?”

“After tonight,” Tyler replied, “I think I believe in everything.”

“Good, because there’s someone who’d love to talk to you back at the house.”

Tyler rose an eyebrow but chose not to respond.

The sun peaked over the buildings of Youtown. It was a quaint little town at the edge of a beach, and to the average person, it was a dream destination. But to the Supernatural, it was a place where they could coexist and take refuge in a community that supported them.

And Jack was going to make sure that every Supernatural that needed help in Youtown would have somewhere to turn.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was fun :)
> 
> Like I said, this isn't the last fic of this universe, but it's the last one that consecutively follows Jack. In Act II, we're focusing on his team and helping other Supernaturals in this world as well as trying to stop William from being a shit.
> 
> I might take a break after writing this. I might not. But either way, you'll know on my tumblr (a href="purrtlepuff.tumblr.com">Purrtlepuff) when I start writing it up again. I have some things to plan out before I jump into the next part.
> 
> And before I end this monster of an end note, I'd like to thank some people who made this AU possible. First off, my sister Scribby who I told before this even became an idea. She helped me bounce back so many times, and honestly, it wouldn't have finished if it wasn't for her. I'd also like to thank TrulyMightyPotato and AngstPhilosophy, who would gush over the fics, ask questions, and help me out when I was stuck.
> 
> And last but not least, I'd like to thank you, dear reader. The ones who left kudos. The ones who commented just a single word. The ones who bookmarked, subscribed, and stuck through this from beginning to end. The ones who came here from the beginning or just found out about it today. You've made this journey worth traveling, and I would've never continued if it wasn't for your amazing support. I mean, look at this monster of a fic! 13,000 words!! That's a personal record. And this whole fic is almost 100,000 words, the longest I've ever written! So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. <3
> 
> Goodbye for now, my friends. I hope you have an extraordinary day!


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